I am a Year 7 student at Pirongia School in Pirongia, New Zealand. I am in Room 7 and my teacher is Mrs Nasilasila.

Friday, 19 May 2017

Joshua. E: The Plasctic Cycle

Joshua. E: The Plastic Cycle

Have you ever thought how do they recycle plastic? Well I’m about to explain how they do. They make it with Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) chips. The (PET) chips are created by combining modified ethylene glycol and purified terephthalic acid.

First when it just gets to the factory which can be found in almost all the major production countries in the world including China and America. Once there they go down a conveyer belt or carried depending on the country a ultra-violet light detects contaminants which require removal. It soon goes through a grinder to make smaller chunks of plastic.

Then goes through a machine called a paper separator which tumbles the (PET) chips in a small amount of water the paper floats to the top and runs through a pipe. The (PET) chips go down a separate pipe into the water bath. The water bath cleans off almost all of the contaminants.

After leaving the water bath the (PET) chips go to the rinse bath to be dried. Then finally the (PET) chips reach the final stage of being heated and sent off. The (PET) chips get heated and (usually) shaped into bottles and get sent off.

The machinery in the factory puts off so much smog that in a day it weighs about 5 KGs. If one of these processes were skipped accidentally (Or on purpose) it could leave the user sick. This must be stopped so that the ozone layer will stay intact.